Arch support



1939- R. L. LATHAM 2311329510 ARCH SUPPORT Filed Feb. 12, 1958" ZShGGstS-SHQGSb l INVENTOR: 4 14/777 09,

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Nov. 7, 1939. R'.. L. LATHAM 2,178,910

ARCH SUPPORT Filed Feb. 12, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORZ z? 4 L pry/7N,

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Patented Nov. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARCH SUPPORT Robert L. Latham, Las Vegas, Nev.

Application February 12, 1938, Serial 'No. 190,242

Claims.

The present invention relates to means insertable in and to be worn in a shoe for the purpose of massaging falling arches and thereby to restore such arches to normal strength and to 5 their original shape.

This application is a continuation in part of application, Ser. No. 88,761, heretofore filed by me on July 3, 1936, and while the present application is substantially like the former, it possesses certain advantages not heretofore attained. To this end, the invention consists in the combinations hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. l is a plan View, partly in section, device embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a. substantially corresponding side elevation of the device,

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the spring seated within the device,

Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a somewhat modifled form of the device, and

Fig. 6 shows the spring member removed from the foregoing view.

The device of the invention comprises a casing composed mainly of a base I, shaped to fit within a shoe of the size for which the member is made. A second member 2, of substantially the same shape, is mounted on top of the base member, to which it is fastened by stitching a seam 3 along the edge of the two members. Itis noted, however, that this seam does not extend entirely around the casing, but that a portion is left open on one side. It is also noted that the top member is upwardly inclined towards the open side to provide an arched opening 4, through which to insert the resilient member constituting the most 40 important portion of the invention.

This resilient member is, in Fig. 3, shown to comprise a substantially flat bottom plate 5-, on which a curved spring plate 6 is journaled substantially as indicated at T. It is noted that the plate 5 is shown partly exposed and partly in dotted outline in Fig. 1. After the resilient member 5, 6 has been inserted into the casing, it may be held in position in a suitable manner, as by rivets 8 seated in the parts I and 5.

The casing members I and 2 are preferably made from leather or other flexible, wear resisting material. The bottom plate 5 should be made from thin sheet metal, sufliciently flexible to adapt itself to the shape of the insole surface of the shoe upon which the device of the invenof a member made from strong metal, sufficiently resilient to permit the plate tobe flexed against the bottom plate 5 each time the weight of the body is exerted against the spring plate, in walking. 4

The upper casing member 2 is shown made with a series of transverse slits I0, starting substantially from the bottom of the upward incline and widening toward the opening 4. These. slits are necessary in order to permit the member to flatten out with the spring plate, without buckling, and the angle of the spreading of the slits should be sufiicient to permit, the slits to close when the member is fully flattened. U h

The constantly recurring flattening of the member 2, in walking, together with the effect of the heat of the foot, would graduallytendto curl. up the edges of the slits and thereby to render the device useless. In order to overcome this tendency, I have provided an inner lining H for the member 2. This lining must be resilient and. compressible and is preferably made from rub; ber cemented to the underside of the member 2. As thisv lining o-peratively forms part of the latter, it is seen that the slits may open and close, in walking, and still maintain the upper member in proper condition.

The rubber lining may extend nearly to the seam 3, but preferably. it is merely large enough to cover the slitted portion of the casing member, in which case a piece, l2, of fibre or the like, should be added to occupy the space behind the rubber lining, substantially as indicated in Fig. 4. It is noticed, in this View, that the joint l3, between thelining II and the spacer I2 is positioned on top of the spring plate 6, some distance from its rear edge M, in order to maintain a smooth and even surface for the foot to rest upon. If the joint I3 should happen to coincide with the rear edge [4, the result would be that a break would occur in the top surface of the device, to the discomfort of the wearer.

From the foregoing description, it is seen that a very simple and efiicient device is obtained which, when compressed by the weight of the body on the foot, presents a continuous, thin inner sole of even thickness. For the sake of clearness, it has been necessary in the drawings greatly to exaggerate the thickness of the various layers of material composing the device, and it should be understood that in actual practice, the material is so thin that, when compressed, the device is no thicker than the ordinary insertable insoles commonly soldover the counter for a few cents each.

The device of Figs. 5 and 6 differs from the foregoing in one respect only. The bottom plate 20 may remain substantially like the plate 5, but instead of the spring plate 6, a T-shaped member 2| is journaled 0n the plate 20. An arch supporting plate 22 is made along the outer edge with bent lugs 23, and other lugs 24 are struck out from the metal of this plate. These lugs engage the edges of the T-shaped member 2| to maintain the plate 22 firmly in position. Between the member 21 and the plate 22 is shown inserted a spring member 25, strong and resilient enough to withstand the continuously recurring flexing. The advantage of having a separate, removable plate is, that a member of the proper strength.

and resiliency to suit the particular wearer may be inserted. The casing members may remain as above described and they are, for this reason, not shown in these views. A further advantage of this arrangement is that the plate 22 may be removed from the T-shaped member by merely opening the lugs 24, and a new plate may be installed to replace a broken or defective one, without disturbing the hinge joint between the parts. But this advantage is offset by the additional thickness of the device, due to the extra layers of the two parts and the lugs 23, 24. I

Obviously, the thinner and smoother the device can be made, and the more evenly it rests within the shoe, the greater its utility. For this reason, the device of Fig. 1 is considered of greater merit.

The drawings are merely illustrative of the invention and are susceptible to such modifications as may come within the scope of the appended claims. Nor has any attention been paid to exact proportioning. It may, for example, be preferable to widen the spacer It so as to bring its side edge closer to the seam shown at the top of Fig. 1, and this spacer should, of course, extend to the right end of this view, substantially as indicated in broken outline 26. The curvature of the plate 6 is, in Fig. 1, shown slightly different from that of Fig. 3, but it should be understood that the shape should conform to the arch of the foot, for which reason, the broader term wedge-shaped is herein employed.

I claim:

1. An arch exerciser comprising a shoe-arch fitting casing made from two piecesof leather or the like sewed together along one side edge and around the ends but remaining open along the other side, there being in the top piece transverse slits extending from the open side, and an arched sheet spring member seated within said casing to maintain the edges of said opening under said slits, and a wedge-shaped arched sheet spring device seated in said opening causing the upper sheet to arch upward, the slits to spread apart and the lining to stretch, the spring device being capable of flexing to cause the surfaces of the two sheets of leather and the sheet spring to come together and to cause the slits again to be drawn together by said lining.

3. A shoe-arch fitting casing made from tW pieces of flexible material stitched together along one side edge and around the ends, slits in the upper piece transversely extending from the open side of the casing, a flexible plate seated in said casing and fastened to the lower member thereof, a wedge-shaped arched spring plate journaled on said plate to press the upper piece upward causing said slits to open, an elastic lining on said upper piece below said slits, and spacing means from the edge of said lining towards the stitching of the casing to maintain uniform thickness of the device, the joint between the lining and the said spacer being positioned on top of said spring plate.

4. In an arch support, the combination of a flexible main plate for insertion in a shoe, and an arch supporting plate curved to fit the arch'of the instep of the foot and pivotally, secured to the main plate, and a spring secured to the free edge of the arch plate, whereby said arch plate will flex on the main plate when the wearer walks and impart a massaging action to the arch muscles of the foot.

5. In an arch support, the combination of a substantially flat flexible insole member, a metallic plate secured to the upper face of the insole member, an arch supporting plate curved to fit the arch of the instep of the foot and pivotally secured to said metallic plate, a curved spring plate secured to the outer free edge of the arch supporting plate, whereby the arch supporting plate will flex when the wearer walks and impart a massaging action to the arch muscles of the foot.

ROBERT L. LATHAM. 

